


Kyōdai

by Skilley



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adoption, Akira Shirogane (Voltron), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Brothers, Child Abandonment, Childhood Trauma, Confusion, Friendship, Gen, Japanese Shiro (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith and Shiro are Adoptive Siblings, Kidnapping, Korean Keith (Voltron), Memory Loss, Neglect, Orphan Keith (Voltron), The Paladins (Voltron) are Supportive, broganes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-02-10 05:50:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12905436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skilley/pseuds/Skilley
Summary: Through his emotion there is only one word he can get out, and it brought forth another wave of remembrance and regret.“Akira”Or,When Shiro regains his lost memory after defeating Zarkon, he is suddenly aware of the mistakes he has made. Will he be able to get back what he lost, or is it too late?





	1. Chapter 1

It all happened so quickly. One second he was standing over Zarkon with a sense of relief and completion, the black bayard clutched in his triumphant grip, and the next he was on the floor clutching his head as searing pain radiated through it. The voices of the others in his ear blurred away as a crescendo of light and sound filled the void, and suddenly and inexplicably he was back home.

 

 There he was, hugging his parents in sheer happiness, running across the Japanese farmland with a letter clutched in his hand, his stride long and filled with excitement. He must’ve went to everyone in the village, yelling in both of his languages and laughing as though he was young and naïve again.

 

Then he was putting on his cadet uniform at the Garrison, buttoning the clasp and staring at himself in the mirror as he squared his shoulders and hoped to be something he could not yet picture. His spine was straight, his hair newly styled, and for once he actually believed in the dreams that he had dreamed for so long, and he knew he was ready.

 

Then he was in his commander's office, being handed yet another award for his accomplishments, and a promise was being made, despite a nagging sensation at the back of his mind telling him that  _ something just wasn't right _ . The feeling faded to a new excitement, and he left with light thoughts on his mind.

 

Then he was in the cafeteria, watching a younger student being called out and pushed down, the boy not fighting back despite the look of aggression on his face. He felt an ever boiling rage, a feeling that he only experienced few times, and then a new light in his chest, something growing. When suddenly he was standing in front of the boy, offering his hand, he almost saw something flash behind the shaded eyes, something he had never seen before. 

 

A flash and then he was in his reserved area of the Garrison’s training room, silently sparring with  _ him _ , something stirring inside him as the quiet boy moved with an instinctual grace he could only dream of achieving. Then they were laughing on the floor, the boy suddenly acting his age and opening up around him, and he was happy. And he was back in his dorm, staring at a slip of paper with an access code, feeling guilty and like a traitor to himself.  

 

Then he was apologizing to a ghost, pale and thin as his hands trembled. The scene switched, and he was sitting on his prized red hoverbike, two small arms wrapped tightly around his waist with a smiling face pressed into his back, shrieks of excitement being carried off by the wind. He realized he was laughing too.

 

Then he's looking down at the small figure curled up on his couch, a hand running through the dark hair with a soft expression on his face, feeling airy and content. This boy was more than just a student now; he was his.

 

And then, out of nowhere, he is the happiness person in the world. He signs his name in perfect cursive, the warmth in his chest almost too much to bear. He returns to his dorm out of breath and grinning, and lifts the boy up, spinning him around in circles, barely even noting the lightness and the feeling of bone through his uniform. Everything was perfect, and he doubted he could be happier.

 

 Then he was receiving another letter, and with it more conflicted emotions than he had ever felt before. The boy was so excited, but he could feel the pain behind his smile, the fear behind his congratulations. That night, he held him close.

 

And finally it all circles back around and he's back home, the boy gripping his arm as he introduces him to his family-no, their family. His mother hugs the boy, who has broken down into tears, and his father claps a hand down on his shoulder. He feels complete, as though everything has led up to this very moment. 

 

The pain returns as falls, but it fades quickly. He slowly opens his eyes after realising they were squeezed shut, and he blinks into focus. It takes him a moment to realize where he was, what was happening, and he shoots up with a gasp. 

 

His team is around him, Pidge and Hunk on his left, Allura, Coran, and Lance on his left. There’s someone crouched in front of him, hands out in front of him but not quite making contact, and his hearing comes back.

 

“Shiro?” Allura speaks softly.

 

He lunges forward with a speed he never knew he possessed, and a yelp came from the one he pressed tightly into his chest. Sobs come from deep inside him, and tears run down his face. He realizes that everyone is concerned and worried, and that he should calm down and be their leader,  but he can only focus on one thing, something he hadn’t realized he’d been missing for a long time. 

 

Through his emotion there is only one word he can get out, and it brought forth another wave of remembrance and regret.

 

**_“Akira”_ **


	2. Chapter 2

The paladins crowded around their leader, worried at his lack of coherence, and suddenly he had crushed Keith in a binding hug. They were all confused, and suddenly Shiro had said that word.

‘Akira’

No one knew what it meant, but the Red Paladin had tensed and was staring into Shiro’s armor with wide eyes, his breathing accelerating as shock settled over his features. Shiro was crying softly, and Allura taking a hesitant step forward broke the spell across the room, several things happening at once.

The Black Paladin suddenly remembered that there were others in the room, and his grip had loosened, gaze snapping upward. The others had voiced concerns at his behavior, and Keith had quickly jerked around and was out of the room with a speed matching his lion’s.

Seeing their leader so frazzled, the Paladins and Alteans began to comfort him, or at least they tried to, making him calm down and clear his head. The flow of memories was more than just the small glimpses he had been getting before, and a new clearness had settled over him.

“I’m alright,” he sighed, rubbing his temples and trying to ease his facial expression. “I just had too many things happen at once.”

“Shiro…” the Princess hesitated. “What exactly happened out there?”

He reached over to the storage built into his armor and pulled out the black bayard, activating it. It transformed into a glowing black triangle, two sides blades and the other a metal handle; glinting and deadly. The others gasped and awed over it, though it wasn’t as big or flashy as the others.

“I got to Zarkon and retrieved the black bayard, but something happened. It was some sort of reaction, as though the bayards are sentient like the lions. All my memories of before Kerberos, everything of my past on Earth, came back.”

“Wow…” Lance breathed. “Does that mean you remember like, your family and all of your friends? After all this time...”

Shiro nodded, a solemn feeling consuming him. Pidge pushed up their glasses which glinted in the light.

“Then what is ‘Akira’? Is it another weapon like Voltron?” She questioned.

Lance and Hunk both hummed to themselves, no doubt imagining something even crazier than the combination of five robotic lions, and Coran looked intrigued.  
“Akira is...a person, someone very dear to me. I can’t say too much, there are some things I need to figure out first.”

“Does it have to do with Keith? He just ran out after you stopped hugging him, but I don’t know why.”

“Keith and I are both going to need some time to think about things Hunk. It might take a while, but I’ll tell you guys what I can after we work through some stuff.”

Hunk nodded, and the others gave acknowledgements of their own, showing their trust and belief in him as their leader. When he readied himself and stood, they backed off and let him breathe.

“I’m going to go find him. Do you all mind giving us some privacy for a bit?”

They all agreed, and Shiro set out to the deck of the ship he knew Keith was hiding in. When he entered, he was struck by how beautiful this level was, as it had a window showcasing the dazzling stars and planets and galaxies of space.

It was one of Keith’s favorite places on the ship, and now he understood why even more than when he had stumbled upon it long ago. Everything seemed so different now.

He knew Keith heard him enter; his instincts and senses had always been abnormally sharp, but the other ignored him. His face was buried in his knees and his arms curled protectively around himself. It tinged within him once again, and he had a feeling this would keep happening for a while.

Crouching down, he settled beside him and stared at the stars as they flew by. Many dobashes passed, and slowly he sensed Keith moving beside him. He lifted his face minimally, still bathed in shadow, and swallowed.

“Why?” He whispered. “Why now?”

He knew what he meant. Keith had always had high walls, he was scared of losing people or being rejected before he could even get close. After his parents both left him, and the foster families not caring for him, only for the money he brought, Keith was broken.

Shiro realized now that the Kerberos mission was too much, and the separation after his capture would've shattered everything he had given him. Before his confrontation with the Galra, they had video calls almost every night.

It was a promise they had made, and it made the distance between them seem like nothing at all. Keith would call him late, usually in bed surrounded by the Garrison blanket he had given him, with his hippo soft toy clutched in his arms.

Keith would tell him about his classes, the idiots who hated him just because he was smart, and in turn Shiro would talk about the mission and the joked he and his team shared throughout the day.

He could almost imagine Keith sitting in front of his laptop, trying to get their communication software to work as though it was just a glitch. He could see him being told about the mission’s failure, about his supposed death, and waiting until late at night to let his heart break.

Shiro’s eyes shined over the more he thought about it, and his hate for Zarkon’s empire became an inferno fueled by the desire to protect, the need to be with the one who meant everything to him. 

“I don’t know.” He answered solemnly, his voice cracking with emotion.

It made Keith look up, and the light made his cheeks sparkle with the tear tracks he hadn’t noticed before. Whatever they were, it was different than it had been before. He knew he shouldn’t, he should be considerate and level headed, but his instincts overtook his thoughts and he lifted one arm up, a silent offering.

Like a kitten in an alleyway, he watched Keith glance at him, his beautiful violet eyes shining, and slowly move towards him. As the smaller man curled into him, unbelievably warm and shaking, it just felt so right.

Shiro returned to gazing in the distance as he slowly began to rock, humming a melody with no words as they sat there together. They knew each other too well for words to be needed, and he knew that Keith understood how he felt. 

The two spent a long time there, a small part of Shiro’s sleeve darkening from saline, before they decided they had spent long enough. They left the deck walking side by side, and one of Keith’s hands tapped against Shiro’s thigh, his small fingers calming the both of them with their light tapping.

Though Shiro didn’t like being reserved with his team, he knew that they weren't ready for this yet. Keith was too unstable right now, and a slight jab meant as a joke could set him off. They had silently agreed to not tell the team about the memories, if only for a while, and they would share their own moments in the privacy of their rooms.

He hated to do it, but Shiro left Keith alone in his room, the younger curling up on his bed, and went to the kitchen where he knew the others were. They all looked up when he walked in, and they waited for him to speak.

“Team.” He addressed them, moving to the food goo dispenser. “What happened today related to a personal matter between Keith and myself, and I know that you’ll understand if we don’t include you right now.”

He could tell they were curious, especially the younger paladins, but as a team they had grown to trust each other and to trust the black paladin’s judgement.

“For reasons I can’t disclose, Keith is a bit shaken up right now, so I need you to go easy on him for a while.”

“Keith? Shaken up? I thought he had no emotions because he acts so emo all the time.” Hunk elbowed Lance in the ribs, shooting him his disappointed mother look, and sending an apologetic one to Shiro.

“That’s what I’m talking about, please just... lay off the insults and the jokes until this whole thing blows over, you guys can have your rivalry later.”

Shiro knew now that this ‘rivalry’ was more than just what it seemed like on the surface. Keith never joined in until Lance egged him on enough, and it was just like at their days before the Garrison. Ever since he was young, Keith had developed his anger, his annoyance, as a defense mechanism because he couldn’t handle conflict. Most people didn’t see it that way, however, and all it did was push people away. 

“Sorry,” Lance made an odd face and ran a hand through his hair. “I have a problem with making jokes when the mood gets too serious. I’ll tone it down for a while.”

“Thanks Lance, it means a lot. To both of us.”

The two shared a smile, and conversation resumed as Shiro made two bowls to bring back to his room. Several goodnights followed him out into the hallway, and he made his way to his room feeling pure compassion for his team.

Despite it being his, he knocked on the door once he got there and received no reply. It took a bit of maneuvering with his hands full, but Shiro was able to open the door without dropping their food.

As he stepped inside he set the plated on his desk and walked over to the bed where the blankets were bunched in a mound. Slowly moving the layers back, Shiro melted at the sight of Keith peacefully asleep, looking so much younger and more relaxed as he curled up on the bed.

Deciding they could eat in the morning, Shiro carefully removed Keith’s paladin undersuit and dressed him in some of his old sweats, which were huge because of their height and width difference. He changed himself into sleepwear, slipping into the bed and chuckling softly when Keith curled up against him just like he used to.

Shiro lay there for a long time, watching his little brother with so many forgotten emotions swirling in his chest. He had resolved to fix things, no matter how long it took, and he knew exactly where to start.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning Keith was gone when Shiro woke up. He made his way to the kitchen, running a hand through the white part of his hair as he stretched. The others minus one were eating at the table, and they greeted him as they normally would. Lance and Pidge were arguing about the validity of conspiracy theories while Hunk was explaining the lore of each one to the confused Alteans.

By the time Shiro had sat down with his plate of food goo they were arguing over flat Earth.

“Allura, Coran, all planets are round. Altea is round, Olkarion is round, and all planets have gravity because they are circular. It’s basic science!” Pidge was almost to the point of screeching. Coran looked thoughtful.

“But there are plenty of planets that defy common expectation. It’s like the Marmora base! We would have never thought about it if we didn’t see it!” 

“I suppose it could be... We’ve never seen or even been to Earth, and technically you haven’t seen it in space in person, because you worm-holed in the Blue Lion.” Allura chimed in.

“YES! And if Earth wasn’t flat, then the ocean would run onto the land!”

“Asjdhfiuaefh, Lance No!” Pidge was so, so done. She spared a glance at Shiro, and an idea formed in her mind.

“Well… I guess we could call Slav and-”

“NO ABSOLUTELY NOT.” Shiro stood and slammed his hands on the table. The sound combined with the screech of his chair was extremely loud, and everyone stared at Shiro.

Allura and Coran were shocked, Lance looked like someone had told him he had to stop speaking Spanish every two minutes, and Pidge was hiding giggles behind her hand. Shiro panted, not used to raising his voice beyond his usual stern tone, his eyes wide and frazzled. He coughed awkwardly.

“Um... anyway, has anyone seen Keith?” Shiro diverted.

“He’s probably on the training deck again.” 

“He already ate?”

The others shared an odd look.

“Keith, like, never eats breakfast. I thought you had noticed?” Pidge glanced off to the side at the thoughts racing behind Shiro’s eyes.

He hadn’t noticed. Memories from years ago ran through his mind, and he cursed himself in his head. Even if he didn’t remember everything, it should have been obvious. Running a hand through his hair and smiling apologetically, he abruptly left.

As he neared the training deck he heard the familiar clang of metal that always echoes through this part of the castle. Just how often did Keith train?

When he first looked into the training deck, it appeared deserted. There were two training bots standing with their ‘arms’ at their sides, unmoving in the center of the room. When he was about to venture inside, they moved.

The first bot ran at the second with incredible speed, and was launched into the air in an acrobatic maneuver that even altean robots shouldn’t have been able to accomplish. That’s when Keith made his appearance.

With feline grace he flipped from the ceiling where he was previously invisible and tackled the airborne robot. They both hit the ground and rolled, Keith backing up closer to the wall. When he moved into a defensive crouch Shiro could see him in more detail.

The half-galra was wearing a pearlescent white suit, like the cyro-pod suits, but it was made of some type of glinting metal. His hair was tied back into a high ponytail, and his bangs were braided back into it. 

Keith threw something and rushed forward with his bayard, the sword sweeping in a wide arc that both bots had to dodge. The object Keith had thrown whirled around like a boomerang, taking out a sensor on one of the bot’s legs, and returning to his hand. Looking closer, Shiro realized it was Keith’s knife, which extended into a sword in his grip.

Like the protagonist of a show they used to watch (which Shiro suddenly remembered, shocking him at the flood of memories) Keith spun with his dual blades in a brutal, mulit-hit strike. Even the altean bots couldn’t prevent all of the hits, and the red paladin increased speed until both bots were defeated and deactivated.

For a second his eyes seemed feline, the sclera dipping into yellow and the purple almost glowing, but it was gone almost immediately.

“Keith?”, Shiro spoke up in an awed tone. 

Not having noticed him, Keith yelped uncharacteristically and jumped a few feet in the air. He stared at Shiro for a moment before relaxing his muscles and walking towards him. His posture became less aggressive and more… meek, and he ran a nervous hand through his hair, a tick that Shiro remembered from their childhood. Not necessarily a nervous habit, but a continuous one that he’d had for years.

“Hey Shiro, do you need something?”, he tilted his head in question.

“I’ve been informed that you haven’t been eating in the mornings so I came to get you.”

Keith shrunk into himself slightly, glancing to the side, and he shrugged. Shiro waited, not saying anything.

“I don’t really get hungry. It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine!” Shiro’s emotions got the best of him, fueled by his new and catastrophic flood of memories, and he snapped. He remembered weeks when Keith refused to eat at all, triggered by flashes of foster homes and bad experiences, and his instincts wouldn’t let him fail again.

Keith looked alarmed, not used to Shiro’s loud protectiveness after so long, and Shiro sighed. He walked over to the younger and slipped one arm under his knees and one around his shoulders. His brother was too light in his arms, and squirmed as Shiro carried him to the kitchen. Setting him down on a stool he grabbed a bowl.

“Shiro…” Keith was silenced by a look, and he stared down at his hands. He knew that he had to get used to this, to having an older brother again after so long, but it was hard. This also meant that he couldn’t get away with as many things either. A bowl of green slime was slid in front of him, and he glanced to his side in defeat.

“Thanks… Taka.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of deciding how to continue this with the reveals in s678 etc. 
> 
> Thoughts?


End file.
